


A Learned Woman: II

by Daegaer



Series: A Learned Woman [2]
Category: Post-Biblical Jewish RPF
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 2, Gen, Jewish Character, Jewish women, Prayer, Robbery, Roman Palestine, boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-14
Updated: 2011-03-14
Packaged: 2017-10-16 23:29:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/170530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daegaer/pseuds/Daegaer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beruriah, wife of Rabbi Meir, does not suffer fools gladly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Learned Woman: II

**Author's Note:**

  * For [seekingferret](https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekingferret/gifts).



> Thank you to Puddingcat for beta-reading!

There were bandits who lived near the house of Rabbi Meir, and they troubled him greatly. They stole the shoes of his favourite student from the doorstep, and the most comfortable of his coats which Beruriah had washed and left out to dry. Then they stole the lamb that Beruriah had cooked for him and his students, which she had cooked in his favourite way, rolled and stuffed with plums and roasted until the smell of it reached his nose most delightfully, and Rabbi Meir could stand it no more and prayed to the Most High to strike them dead and to avenge the insult of the shoes and the coat and his dinner.

But Beruriah his wife had seen the bandits who stole the food and knew they were but homeless children and not the fierce men her husband assumed were needed for such petty thefts.

"On what,"she said, "do you base your prayers? Is it not where the Psalmist says, _Let sins cease_? Is your eyesight grown so dim, Meir, that you think it says "sinners"? Does not the end of the verse say _they are wicked no more_? Pray they cease sinning, Meir; it may be that I shall cook you a new dinner."

Rabbi Meir did not look at his students, and grudgingly prayed that the thieves would become honest, and he ate the new dinner Beruriah prepared for him and his students, and never asked the identities of the boys to whom she gave the leftovers. More grudgingly yet, he spoke to his friends when Beruriah urged him, and found employment for the orphans of whom she spoke.

And the thefts ceased around the town, and Rabbi Meir knew his prayers had been answered, although he did not know why Beruriah his wife laughed so much when he spoke of the matter, or why the new serving boy smiled and said that his prayers too had been heard.

 

[source](http://homepage.usask.ca/~mll934/berakot%2010a.jpg)

**Author's Note:**

>   
> _Babylonian Talmud, tractate Berakhot 10a_   
> 
> 
>   
> _Certain brigands who were in the neighborhood of Rabbi Meir used to trouble him greatly. He prayed [lit.: sought mercy] that they die. Beruryah his wife (devethu) said to him, "What is your opinion [i.e., on what do you base your prayer?] Because it is written [Psalms 104:35], 'Let sins cease...?' Is 'sinners' written? [Rather] 'sins' is written. Furthermore, cast your eyes to the end of the verse, 'And they are wicked no more.' Since sins will cease, they will be wicked no more. So pray that they repent and be wicked no more. He prayed for them, and they repented._   
> 
> 
> [Source](http://sites.google.com/site/drtzveezahavy/the-beruriah-traditions)


End file.
